New Mexico Medicaid Work Requirements
Federal deadline Jan 1, 2027Centennial Care expanded in 2014 and covers children to 300% FPL — one of the most generous children's programs in the country
93 days until the federal implementation deadline for New Mexico
New Mexico compliance calculator
Federal minimum wage: $7.25. Self-employed? Use your average hourly net earnings.
≈ 108 hours/month. The requirement is 80/month.
Pay stubs or an employer letter count.
Parents of children 13 or under, pregnant/postpartum women, people with disabilities or medical frailty, and several other federal categories are exempt. An exemption beats any hour-counting strategy — run the exemption wizard before optimizing hours.
At 25 hrs/week you average ~108 hours/month, above the 80-hour floor. You must document every month.
At $12.00/hour you need ~49 hours/month to reach $580. Your projected $1300/month clears it.
OBBBA lets hours from work, community service, job training, and education combine toward 80. Volunteering ~10 hrs/week (≈45 hrs/month) plus part-time work can close gaps that wages alone cannot.
Parents of children 13 or under, pregnant/postpartum women, people with disabilities or medical frailty, and several other federal categories are exempt. An exemption beats any hour-counting strategy — run the exemption wizard before optimizing hours.
Variable schedules can dip below 80 hours in slow months. Some states average hours over a period; until your state publishes rules, plan for the strict monthly reading.
Expansion with unusually generous children's coverage
New Mexico expanded Medicaid in 2014 and kept going: under the 2023 CMS snapshot it covers children to 300% FPL in Medicaid itself — no separate CHIP program — which puts it among the most generous children's programs in the country. Pregnant women qualify to 250% FPL.
On the adult side, the story is the same as every expansion state: as of 2026-09-20 the Health Care Authority has not published a state-specific OBBBA implementation plan, so the federal floor applies — 80 hours a month from January 1, 2027, one month of verified compliance before approval, and 6-month redeterminations.
Centennial Care basics
Centennial Care covers expansion adults to 138% FPL through managed-care organizations. MAGI groups have no asset test. The program is administered by the New Mexico Health Care Authority, created in 2024 to consolidate the state's health and human-services functions.
Dollar tables for every household size are on our New Mexico income-limits page, computed from the official 2026 federal poverty guidelines with the 5% MAGI disregard applied.
What to watch in New Mexico
The Health Care Authority's implementation plan for the 2027 requirement, and how the state's high Medicaid penetration rate shapes its verification approach. The October 1, 2026 immigrant-eligibility changes affect a notably large share of New Mexico's lawfully-present immigrant communities.
New Mexico Medicaid income limits — who qualifies
Adults covered through Centennial Care (New Mexico Medicaid) qualify with household income up to 138% of the federal poverty level. Children, pregnant women, parents and people with disabilities each have their own limit. The full 2026 chart — monthly dollars for every household size and every program — lives on our dedicated New Mexico Medicaid income limits page. Final determinations are made by New Mexico Health Care Authority (HCA).
Exemptions in New Mexico
Federal OBBBA exemption categories apply to Centennial Care expansion adults. The Health Care Authority has not published state-specific exemption-processing guidance as of 2026-09-20, so the federal categories are the operative list for now.
The June 2026 interim final rule requires a two-step test: a serious or complex medical condition that significantly impairs the ability to complete 80 hours a month. Diagnostic codes alone are not enough. Verified medically-frail status must be re-verified at least every 12 months.
Exemption guides: medically frail · parent & caretaker · student · already meeting SNAP/TANF rules
Run the exemption self-checkDocuments to prepare
- ✓ Pay stubs, payroll records, or an employer letter showing 80 hours in the month
- ✓ Self-employment records if you are counting your own business or gig work
- ✓ School or college enrollment proof showing at least half-time status
- ✓ Training or workforce-program enrollment paperwork
- ✓ Volunteer or community-service hour log signed by the organisation
- ✓ Documentation supporting an exemption: caregiver status, pregnancy, disability, medically frail status, or SNAP/TANF compliance
Official New Mexico resources
New Mexico Health Care Authority (HCA)
New Mexico work requirement FAQ
How many hours per month do I need in New Mexico?＋
80 hours per month of work or qualifying activity — employment, education, job training or community service. The rules also recognize an income alternative: earnings of at least $580 a month (80 hours at the $7.25 federal minimum wage) can satisfy the requirement through income instead of hour tracking, and seasonal or irregular earnings may be averaged.
What counts as a work, training or education program in New Mexico?＋
The 80 hours do not have to come from one paid job. New Mexico counts employment (including self-employment and gig work), community service / volunteering, job training and workforce programs, education at least half-time, caregiving (counts as qualifying activity in federal framework) and combination of the above totaling 80 hours/month, and activities can be combined to reach the monthly total — so a training course or a part-time education program can satisfy the requirement on its own, or make up the gap left by work.
Who is exempt from the New Mexico work requirement?＋
Federal law exempts parents and caretakers of children under 14, pregnant and postpartum women, people receiving disability benefits, the medically frail, students enrolled at least half-time, former foster youth up to 26, and people already meeting TANF or SNAP work rules. Federal OBBBA exemption categories apply to Centennial Care expansion adults. The Health Care Authority has not published state-specific exemption-processing guidance as of 2026-09-20, so the federal categories are the operative list for now.
How often is eligibility re-checked in New Mexico?＋
Under the 2027 rules, New Mexico reviews eligibility at least every 6 months instead of every 12 — which makes keeping monthly proof of work, activity or exemption status more important. Our 6-month renewal reminder (calendar feed) tracks the federal redetermination cycles.
What are New Mexico's Medicaid income limits?＋
Adults covered through Centennial Care (New Mexico Medicaid) qualify with household income up to 138% of the federal poverty level. Children, pregnant women, parents and people with disabilities have separate limits. Our dedicated New Mexico Medicaid income limits page carries the full 2026 table with monthly dollars for every household size and program, and New Mexico Health Care Authority (HCA) publishes the official charts and makes the final determination.
Full 2026 New Mexico Medicaid income limits chart by family size →
What happens if I lose Medicaid in New Mexico?＋
Losing Medicaid triggers a 60-day special enrollment period for ACA marketplace coverage, and children may qualify for CHIP even when adults do not. Our coverage alternatives guide ranks the realistic fallbacks — marketplace subsidies, employer coverage, CHIP and community health centers — by cost.
Is Centennial Care the same as Medicaid?＋
Yes. Centennial Care is New Mexico's Medicaid program, administered by the New Mexico Health Care Authority (which took over from the Health Care Services Department in 2024). New Mexico covers children up to 300% FPL under Medicaid itself with no separate CHIP program, per the CMS national table.
When does New Mexico's Centennial Care work requirement start?＋
The federal deadline is January 1, 2027. As of 2026-09-20 the Health Care Authority has not published an earlier state-specific start date, so plan around the federal date: 80 hours a month, 6-month redeterminations, and a $580/month income alternative.
How do I apply for Centennial Care?＋
Apply through the YES New Mexico portal (yes.state.nm.us) or by phone at 1-800-283-4465. Renewals run through the same portal — keep your account current, because reviews move to every 6 months under the 2027 rules.
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Sources & verification
Reviewed by Gavin YE, Technical Director, ClearRules Labs.
Page last reviewed 2026-09-20
| Field | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Expansion status, program & adult ceiling (138% FPL) | Verified | HCA site and CMS national table — checked 2026-09-20 |
| Agency page & phone | Verified | hca.nm.gov loaded and titled 'New Mexico Health Care Authority' — checked 2026-09-20 |
| Expansion enrollment (~247,000) | Verified | KFF Medicaid expansion enrollment indicator, June 2025 — checked 2026-09-20 |
| Federal work-requirement parameters | Verified | OBBBA baseline in federalBaseline.json; CMS-2454-IFC |
| State implementation plan | Pending | Not published by the Health Care Authority as of 2026-09-20 |
| Parents/caretaker dollar schedule | Pending | New Mexico sets this standard in dollars (CMS equivalent ~37% FPL); exact figures pending verification against HCA |
| Apply portal (YES New Mexico) | Pending | Official portal; did not resolve from this network at check time — confirm in a browser |
- New Mexico Health Care Authority — New Mexico Health Care Authority (accessed 2026-09-20)
- Medicaid expansion enrollment by state — KFF (accessed 2026-09-20)
- Status of state Medicaid expansion decisions — KFF (accessed 2026-09-20)
- National Medicaid & CHIP eligibility levels (income standards as of 2023-12-01) — Medicaid.gov (CMS) (accessed 2026-09-20)
- 2026 Federal Poverty Guidelines — HHS/ASPE (accessed 2026-09-20)
Page last verified 2026-09-20 · Status: federal-baseline-verified; agency-pages-verified-2026-09-20; income-limits-cms-sourced; state-implementation-pending. Estimates only — your state Medicaid agency's determination controls.